North American Rhinos in an Alternate Timeline

Scenario: In this alternate historical timeline, the native North American rhinoceroses of the family Rhinocerotidae, including Teleoceras, Aphelops, Aceratherium, Menoceras, Diceratherium, and Subhyracodon, successfully survived past the Miocene and Pliocene eras. This unforeseen development was the result of key evolutionary adaptations and symbiotic relationships that they established within their ecosystem. During the late Miocene period, these rhinoceroses developed some distinct traits that enabled them to thrive during periods of intense climate changes. For instance, Teleoceras, characteristically sports a hippopotamus-like body to increase its adaptability, developed a broader nose to facilitate more efficient water intake during droughts. The Aceratherium took a different approach, increasing the size and strength of their horns to better compete for scarce food resources, while the Diceratherium evolved to become a more effective burrower, enabling it to access subterranean food supplies. As we cross into the Pliocene era, these rhinoceroses expanded their territories dramatically. Taking advantage of their adaptations and the new cold-dwelling flora, they migrated further North. The ecosystem was able to sustain these large mammals due to the evolution of specific plants that could withstand the harsh cold weather and still provide ample nutrition. Parallelly, in the Pleistocene era, the Elasmotherium, Stephanorhinus, and Coelodonta (woolly rhinoceros) from Eurasia were able to cross into North America via the Bering land bridge. With their thick fur coats evolved to survive the glacial extremes of their homeland, these Eurasian rhinos quickly established themselves in the colder regions of North America. These incursions led to competition and occasional clashes for resources among the native and migratory species. Over time, however, a balanced dichotomy emerged where the North American rhinos occupied the warmer Southern and coastal regions accessing an aquatic diet, whereas the Eurasian rhinos dominated the wintry North, adapting to terrestrial vegetation. As these rhinoceroses migrated and adapted, they affected the entire ecosystem - shaping the landscape through their feeding strategies, influencing the population of predators and other herbivores, and impacting the plant life with their select feeding and foraging. In the present day, thanks to these evolutionary developments and ecological adaptations, rhinoceroses are now a central feature of North America's flourishing biodiversity. With high-level conservation efforts focused on protecting these mighty creatures, North America is home to both furry and aquatic rhinos - a testament to the continent's unique and robust ecosystem.